I’ve been traveling a lot lately. Some for fun. Some for work. Some for family obligations. And when I travel—whether it be by car, bus, train, or airplane—there are two things I always bring along: my travel coffee mug and my re-usable water bottle. For air travel (as I’m doing while I write this) they have to go through security empty. For a car trip they always start full. But I’m always glad I have them—not just for the travel itself, but also for the time I am away from home.
When in a hotel, there is often free coffee available. I’m partial to hotels that offer free breakfast, so that’s always a chance to fill my travel mug. Some hotels offer a coffee pot in the room, so that’s another chance to fill that cup. Hotel doesn’t have any free coffee options? That happens, but when you bring your own mug, a cup of joe costs less than if it comes in a disposable cup at most places (including Starbucks, Sheetz, Panera, and many others). And it’s much better for the environment not to be using all those single use cups! While I’m at my conference this week I’ll fill my 20 ounce cup at the conference breakfast each day, and that caffeine fix will keep me going through the morning sessions for sure.
Hotels always have a water source as well. And I’m not just talking about the tap in your room’s bath. One of the best kept secrets in hotel life is the water cooler in the exercise room. Whether or not you choose to lace up for a treadmill run, you still have access to that nice, cold water to fill your bottle. Fancy hotels may have a cooler of cucumber or fruit laced water in the lobby. And I’ve started noticing water integrated into the juice dispenser or a stand-alone bottle filler at those hotels with the free breakfast. Bottle filling stations have been popping up in more and more places over the last several years. I started seeing them in airports about ten years ago—long before the one you know best was installed in the Katz Building. But I’ve run into them in malls, convention centers, and arenas. I expect that upward trend in filtered bottle fillers will continue, as the world tries to steer itself away from single use plastics. I’m pretty certain that my conference this week will provide me with coolers of ice water from which I can keep my bottle filled this week. Hydration is important!
Do you have a go-to travel mug and refillable water bottle? If not, it’s probably time to look into it. They’ll save you money as well as keeping you hydrated and caffeinated!
